High intensity discharge (HID) lamps offer significant advantages over other lamps conventionally used in aircraft applications, such as quartz halogen or incandescent sealed beam lamps used as utility/cargo bay lights, wing and engine scan lights, logo lights, landing lights and taxi lights. When compared with quartz halogen lamps, HID lamps provide (i) nearly twice the photometric performance at less than half the energy consumption, (ii) extended lamp life by a factor of about four, (iii) better shock resistance and (iv) less heat generation. However, presently known HID lamp assemblies have required a larger envelope than the existing quartz halogen or incandescent sealed beam lamps presently in use in aircraft applications. Even automotive applications would benefit from a HID lamp assembly having a smaller envelope size than the HID lamp assemblies presently in use.